Death toll in Philippines cathedral bombings rises to 27
A total of 27 people were killed and
77 others were wounded when two bombs hit a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu, the police
said Sunday. The first blast inside the Jolo cathedral in the provincial
capital sent churchgoers, some of them wounded, to stampede out of the main
door. Army troops and police posted outside were rushing in when the second
bomb went off about one minute later near the main entrance, causing more
deaths and injuries.
Although no terrorist group has
claimed responsibility for the attack, many observers say Abu Sayyaf militants,
who have been active in the region, may be involved in the attack.
It came nearly a week after minority
Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation endorsed a new autonomous
region in the southern Philippines in hopes of ending nearly five decades of a
separatist rebellion that has left 150,000 people dead. Although most of the
Muslim areas approved the autonomy deal, voters in Sulu province, where Jolo is
located, rejected it.
